Tree Cathedral
released April 2026
To hear the track on Bandcamp, click on this image
For the whole album, click on this image.
Inspiration!
Near where I live in Milton Keynes there’s a plantation of trees called the ‘Tree Cathedral’. Back in 2013, my girlfriend lived in Norwich and I was regularly travelling back and forth between the two places - Norwich felt like my second home. Then I discovered that the Milton Keynes Tree Cathedral was based on Norwich Cathedral, and it felt so significant that I imagined a piece of music that embraced this. I saw the Tree Cathedral as a symbol of the natural world and Norwich Cathedral as a symbol of human civilisation. I imagined an ensemble of musicians performing among the trees, then processing into the Cathedral, and started composing the piece then and there.
Lyrics
Much later, after completing the vocal melodies, with ‘ahhh’ as the lyric, I realised this music was Requiem-like. So I selected some of the Catholic Requiem Mass, in such a way as to avoid specifically Christian references, aiming to evoke general religiosity and the spiritual. So of course, it had to be in Latin, it was only fitting. And it had to be set to the melodies already there. Seems fair enough.
Opening:
Sanctus, sanctus sanctus, Hosanna in excelsis!
Holy, holy, holy, Hosanna in the highest!
‘Rain’ Section:
Caelum, et tellus, pleni, pleni de, Gloria
Heaven, and earth, are full, are full of, Glory
Cathedral Section 1:
Requiem æternam dona eis, et lux perpetua luceat eis
Eternal rest give unto them, and perpetual light shine upon them
Mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget, cum resurget creatura, judicanti responsura
Death and nature shall be stunned, when arises, when arises mankind, to render account before the judge
Cathedral Section 2 - Double Time:
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo, dum discussion venerit atque venture ira, quando cœli movendi sunt et terra
I am seized with fear and trembling, until the trial is at hand and the wrath to come, when the heavens and earth shall be shaken
(..... it all gets a bit dark If I'm honest)
Credits:
Composed, played, sung, produced, mixed, mastered by Steven McDaniel, who must be some kind of narcissist.